Passengers complain of fare overcharging

The management of the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) has received complaints that some dispatchers and conductors inside the terminal are taking advantage of the surge of passengers this season by overcharging the fare.

Kalag-Kalag

CSBT Manager Joey Herrera revealed that he himself caught dispatchers charging passengers a minimum fare of P50.

“Kasagaran sa bus pinaka duol, kutob gyud sa Carcar, which (are) the mini buses. Naa koy reklamo nga nadawat nga kining uban nga mga dispatcher ug konduktor, mo-charge ug minimum fare of P50. Even if kutob ra na sila Naga, San Fernando, Minglanilla, i-charge na nila 50 pesos,” Herrera said.

A passenger bound for San Fernando, for instance, would just have to pay a fare ranging from P28 to P35.

Herrera said they will warn dispatchers caught overcharging passengers. Their concern, however, is once the bus had already left the terminal.

“Pero kon naa na nisakay na sila sa bus, wala na gyud, dili na gyud ko hibalo kon pila gyud ilang gipaplete,” Herrera said, as he urge passengers to report these incidents to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

He advised passengers to get the details of the bus, like the bus number, the company and the time of its scheduled departure.

Herrera also urged the LTFRB and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to ensure that all the buses that will park and travel from the terminal have been inspected by the two agencies.

The CSBT management expressed concern that some buses may not park inside the terminal for fear that they would be inspected by LTO and LTFRB personnel and defects would be found on these buses.

“The concern for us, how to facilitate the crowd nga walay kaguliyang. Ang usa baya ana kay availability sa bus. Mao nay makatabang, kung naay bus dili gyud magkahuot,” Herrera said.

Herrera wants to get assurance from these transportation agencies that all the buses parked inside the CSBT are inspected.

“Meaning they have to fastrack unta ilang inspection karon ug makahibalo pud ta nga kani nitamak ngari (nga mga bus) has been inspected because for now we don't know kung na inspect na ang bus nga nitamak diri,” Herrera said.

The Capitol, for its part, will increase the number of blue guards inside the terminal starting Friday, while personnel from the Cebu Provincial Police will also be deployed by Monday.

Also, Cebu Ports Authority Port Police Head Archie Guinitaran said they have added 47 security personnel for the Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Undas 2017.

The Department of Transportation, in a memorandum, has ordered all transportation agencies on heightened alert and help motorists and passengers 24 hours a day from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6.

DOTr's attached offices and its attached agencies were also ordered that all transport terminals, booths, and counters must be manned throughout the eight-day "monitored travel period" to prevent long queues and other untoward incident

Meanwhile, the EcoWaste Coalition has issued a 10-point “Cemetequette” to promote environmental responsibility among cemetery visitors, stressing that dumping of garbage in burial grounds is disrespectful to the dead, as well as to the living.

For a waste-free and toxicfree commemoration of Undas, the group urged the general public to observe the following eco-tips:

1. Spruce up and redecorate the grave of your departed ones in a safe and ecological manner without using leaded paints and without burning or dumping trash at the sidewalk or on other people's tombs.

2. Put your discards into the recycling bins, if available, or bring them home for proper sorting, reusing, recycling or composting.

3. Keep the resting place of your loved ones liter-free by not throwing cigarette butts, candy wrappers, discarded packaging, fruit peels, etc. on the ground.

4. Don't add to the smoke from burning candles by not smoking or vaping in the cemetery.

5. Choose clean-burning candles and do not let the plastic receptacles or holders to burn. Never use candles with lead-cored wicks, which could pose a lead poisoning hazard, especially to young children.

6. Offer local fresh flowers, not plastic ones, or consider bringing potted plants and flowers instead. Avoid wrapping floral or plant offerings in plastic, which will sooner or later end up as trash.

7. Bring your own water jug to avoid purchasing bottled water.

8. For waste-free homeprepared meals, use reusable carriers, containers, and utensils.

9. Bring only food and beverage that you can consume to avoid spoilage or wastage.

10. Bring bayong or other reusable bags to carry your stuff and purchases, and refuse plastic bags and wrappers from vendors.

“By observing these eco-tips, we avoid creating unsightly and stinking garbage that can turn off other visitors and, worst of all, pose health risks to everyone,” Aileen Lucero, the coalition's national coordinator, said in a statement.

The group likewise urged cemetery administrators to put up a practical system that will help visitors to manage their discards in an environmentallysound way.